New Life, Start!
by AlmondFresh
Summary: A former oracle to the now-collapsed nation of Eden has been commission be Vert of Leanbox (Ultradimension) to work for her instead! Inspired off Idol PP, this story is about a young lady getting to know the day to day lives of our favourite goddesses. Boring work days and super crazy antics are all involved in this slightly humorous but insightful collection of short stories.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Gnnng..." the young woman groaned as she awoke, sitting up in her bed. Darkness encompassed the room, and the heavy air didn't help her grogginess. It was the middle of the night, evidenced by the presence of the stars in the sky out side of her window. A slight swaying of the room made her feel seasick. The waves crashed upon the side of the boat making a rhythmic clapping. The sudden rush of the stench of saltwater caused her to gag, waking her up.

She reached over to her nightstand, and picked up her glasses along with a pocket-sized booklet. "Beleuchten", she uttered and snapped her fingers, causing a ball of light to appear near her hand. Guiding the ball of light with her palm, she opened the book to the back of the cover, and inscribed was a short passage.

"Have fun Haruka! Be sure to write back soon!" read the booklet, a message written by her mother back in Eden before she had left. A soft smile appeared on her stoic face, as if reassured by these words.

Haruka turned over the page and a folded piece of paper fell out. Instantly, her smile disappeared. She picked the paper up, and unfolded it. Its golden outline and official stamp reminded her of the reason for her journey. The page was titled 'The Commissioning of the New Oracle'.

A ringing bell interrupted her, and along came a husky voice, "Attention all passengers! We are currently arriving at Leanbox!"


	2. Chapter 1: Crushed Expectations

Chapter 1: Crushed Expectations

Leanbox, an island off the main continent of Gamindustri, harbouring the Console Patron Unit (CPU) Green Heart, was a nation proud of its technology and ability to create structures of tremendous size. In times of peace its own citizens were able to sustain their economy, despite their constant failing profit ventures onto the continent. The country contains a bustling and near-futuristic capital, but its large fields of green give it the title 'The Land of Green Pastures'. Heavily focused on entertainment and competition, their main gaming exports are Fantasy RPG's and FPS's. However, despite the nation's success, rumours say the CPU is a lazy woman who only has time for games.

"This nation is so convoluted, how would this place hold itself up if its CPU was a couch potato?" Haruka muttered to herself as she made her way to the Basilicom, the home of the nation's CPU. Normally immense in size, the Basilicom housed everything needed to run a nation, and the personal belongings of the CPU inhabiting it. Usually built prior to the city's development, its appearance affects the rest of the city's aesthetics.

The city's architecture called for as much development as possible, and showed this by creating towering skyscrapers and wide stadiums. Large magnetic railways. connected buildings to others, and allowed for fast and efficient travel. Despite the space constraints, the nation also contained a soft spot for nature, with lots devoted to parks littered across the city.

As Haruka walked along the metallic streets of Leanbox, she noticed a rather large number of arcades and gaming outlets. Sometimes there would be more arcades than actual stores down a street. Children and teenagers flooded the arcades, each of which were filled with hundreds of different games, with enough variety to satisfy every niche. However, something that was ever present, wasn't the feeling of joy but the feeling of frustration.

"Who is this LGH!?"

"99,999,999 points! Is that even possible?"

"Holy crap! Here too?!"

These types of sentences were common statements coming from the crowds of kids. The moaning of gamers everywhere was caused by a single player. Apparently, there's a top notch gamer going around to each and every arcade and filling the high score boards with their name, LGH.

Haruka made a mental note of the nation's obsession with games, and continued on her way. However, she eventually reached a particularly large group of people crowding around an arcade entrance. The crowd was large enough to block the street, so Haruka decided to check up on the situation while she waited for the people to disperse. She pushed her way through the sea of people to get a better look. Near the center of the crowd, she found the source of the commotion. A taller feminine figure clothed in a black hoodie and sweatpants along with a cap and sunglasses was winning every prize from the claw machine. With deadeye accuracy, the figure managed to nab a prize with each and every coin inserted. The crowd was overjoyed to see such an amazing display of skill, and was even more ecstatic when the figure emptied the machine. With the plethora of prizes won, the woman began to throw her plentiful winnings into the crowd. Stuffed animals, candy, and toys flew into the hungry hands of the people. The citizens went wild, pushing each other to get even a measly stuffed frog.

Having been a part of the crowd, Haruka was suddenly enclosed by the waves of people. Startled by the sudden movement, she began to fight her way to the other side of the blockade of people. What seemed to be a lifetime passed before she made it through the crowd. As she reached the other side, she spotted the figure making its way through the riot. The figure seemingly passed through the people as they fought for the prizes, dodging every push and shove with grace while she made her way out. Haruka was stunned, how could such an amazing person exist? Surely, she couldn't have been human. However, her shock didn't last long, as the figure grabbed Haruka's hands and placed a stuffed bear in them. In a fairly lady-like voice, the figure asked Haruka "Please, take care of him for me, will you?"

Haruka could only nod as this amazing woman dashed off towards another nearby arcade. A couple of minutes went by as Haruka stood frozen in surprise and shock before she remembered why she was in Leanbox. "Ah! I'm going to be late for the appointment!" she yelled before she began running towards the Basilicom with her new, fluffy bear in tow.

Nearing the Basilicom, Haruka spent no time slowing her pace as she ran past the crowds. She was late, what a way to start off her new job as Leanbox's Oracle. The CPU would definitely fire her immediately. Tears in her eyes Haruka threw the front doors of the Basilicom open. "Please forgive my tardiness!" she yelled into the entrance hall.

Her voice was met with no response and, when she looked up, the hall was empty. Looking around, Haruka quickly snapped to, and reached into her pockets for the letter. Quickly skimming through the letter, she found the expected time, '17:00', and looked at her watch, '5:22', she was definitely late. She looked around the hall once more broke down to her knees. "They just left me, deciding I wasn't good enough." she muttered to herself tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry mother, I'll be home soon."

Haruka began to hug the stuffed bear and continued her sobbing, "Going back to Eden, and all I have to show for is this stuffed bear."

A few minutes passed, with Haruka finally wiping away her tears with her sleeve. Getting up, she put up her stoic face once more and began to make for the exit. As she was about to leave the building, she was stopped by a familiar figure. It was who seemed to be that black clad woman from earlier. "Pardon me, are you my new Oracle?" the figure questioned.

"I was going to be..." Haruka's voice trailed off before she realized what the figure just implied, "Y-You're Lady Green Heart?!"

The figure then pulled off her cap and sunglasses to reveal her long flowing blonde hair and deep blue eyes hidden under the guise. "That would indeed be the case." the goddess replied.

Haruka stood confused for a moment, then immediately got down on one knee and bowed her head. "I apologize, Lady Green Heart. I was a tad tardy in my appearance."

"Please, address me as Vert." the blonde woman stated as she grabbed Haruka's hand and pulled her up. "And it is not a problem, for I was a bit late myself, 17:00 is strikingly similar to 7:00."

Now face to face with her goddess, Haruka's eye's welled up in tears again but this time because of joy. Vert grabbed her and held her tightly, Haruka's face ended up into quite the softness. "Aww. You're so adorable! I simply must have you as my little sis- ... Pardon me...my Oracle."

Haruka snapped back to reality hurriedly and wiped her tears into Vert's clothes before pushing her off. "Then, Lady Vert, shall we get started?"

"Oh my, putting up such a strong front after crying in my arms? You must really be into this." Vert stated, with an impressed look on her face.

Vert then cleared her throat, fixed her posture and spoke professionally, "Alright, let us discuss the job over some tea, all that gaming has made me parched."


	3. Chapter 2: Some Important Visitors

Chapter 2: Some Important Visitors

"I want to be able to improve my- no, our nation, and I can't do it without your help." Vert's words rang in Haruka's head as she got ready in front of the mirror.

It's been a week since Haruka's appointment as Oracle of Leanbox, and had been staying in her own room in the Basilicom since. The week had been nothing but training and explaining of her duties as Oracle, mostly by the other workers of the Basilicom. Vert however, had (un)expectedly vanished from the Basilicom and left Haruka, along with her seniors to fend for themselves. However, due to the business of her week, Vert's absence hadn't been noticed by Haruka and she wouldn't have, had Vert not planned a very special appointment today.

"If it was so important, why did you disappear…" Haruka grumbled to herself.

Already dressed in her uniform, a butler suit to satisfy Vert's uncanny tastes, Haruka was finishing with her morning preparations. Tying her flowing sky-blue hair back into a ponytail, Haruka stared blankly into her own reflection and yawned as if to wake herself up. In her daze, a looming figure sneaked behind her. An enemy? Haruka thought as she whipped her head around to identify her assailant. Before she could, her eyes were blinded and a surprisingly soft, enveloping embrace followed suit. "Haruka…" said the attacker exhaustively, "I'm afraid I cannot attend to the preparation of the meeting today. I stayed up all night playing games…"

"Lady Vert?!" Haruka called out, as she fought her way out of the hold, "All night? More like all week! This is unacceptable! Do you know how important today's appointment is?"

Letting go, the Lady replied "I do. And because of that, I must get my beauty sleep." Vert looked around the room slowly with heavy eyes before continuing, "I apologize Haruka, but I will be demanding the use of your bed."

Haruka's bed, neatly done and tidied, was then quickly assaulted by the blonde goddess, ruining it.

"Lady Vert! Please, if you must sleep, please do so in your room. Your bed is much more suited to a goddess like yourself." Haruka pleaded to the goddess.

Lying in the bed, Vert began to hug the pillow before asserting, "However, my bed doesn't have _your _warmth." Closing her eyes, Vert finally whispered, "Good night…" Her last words were near inaudible as she quickly fell asleep on the Oracle's bed.

"Lady Vert- no, Lady Green Heart! Please wake up immediately! This isn't a joke, this is Planeptune's diplomats we're talking about!" Haruka's vehement calling, however, did not wake the sleeping goddess.

A quiet snore was Haruka's curt reply, and she soon quieted down. "Jeez, I guess it can't be helped." she muttered to herself as she approached her bed.

Lady Vert's sleeping figure was curled around the sole pillow on the bed, as if trying to crush it between her arms. Her golden locks sprawled out across the bed, covering what her body had not. A soft smile appeared on Haruka's face as she watched the scene before her. Then slowly, as if not to wake Vert, Haruka pulled the covers over the goddess and whispered in reply, "Good morning, my Lady."

Walking around the Basilicom, Haruka had noticed that all the residents were in a panic. The cooks and housekeepers were running around frantically, pushing carts filled with cakes and pastries to different rooms of the Basilicom. Looking at her watch Haruka noted the time was 9:00, meaning the meeting wasn't until at least 5 hours later. Confused, the Oracle stopped one of the housekeepers that was busy cleaning the windows.

"Excuse me, miss, why are there so many desserts flooding into the living quarters?" Haruka asked, curiously.

"Don't you know?" the housekeeper replied, "Lady Vert demands that the Basilicom be absolutely perfect for these visitors."

"So, they are regular visitors?" Haruka questioned.

"More than regulars!" the keeper cried out, "We're talking about some of the most important people to our Lady!"

Shocked, Haruka realized the direness of the situation, quickly thanked the housekeeper, and immediately continued her patrol towards the entrance hall.

Despite the business in the hallways, the entrance hall was near deserted. The doors were closed and the weight of the air could choke a small animal. Dust and cobwebs hung from the two-storey ceiling, while the brown floor tiling had noticeable sludge caked onto it. Haruka hadn't noticed the mess when she first arrived but, if she remembered correctly, the hall had been closed while she was getting accustomed to her new position. The hall probably hadn't been kept for at least a week, meaning it was up to her to clean it.

Looking around the Basilicom for a housekeeper, Haruka found nobody who wasn't busy with their tasks. Anyone she asked would either give her a dirty look or tell her that their job was more important than cleaning the hall. An hour or two had passed and eventually she gave up. "This wasn't in my job description…" Haruka groaned to herself as she returned to the hall.

"Wasser." Haruka chanted as she waved her hands in front of her, eyes closed, in an incantation.

A floating ball of water appeared before the Oracle, and grew in size as she repeated her chant. In a minute's time she stopped chanting, and the water fell onto the floor. With the doors closed, the water had evenly covered the floor to ankle depth. Rolling up her sleeves and pants, Haruka got on her knees and began to scrub the floor fervently. "Too bad there's no cleaning magic." Haruka chuckled, trying to distract herself from the immense task at hand.

The doors were shut tight, the windows were blinded and Haruka's perception of time began to waver. The room was illuminated solely by green crystals on ornate stands that emitted a soft glow. This isn't so bad, Haruka thought to herself, at least not as bad as what they had to do back in Eden.

Not before long, the floor was thoroughly scrubbed and Haruka began her chant once more. The water began to gravitate towards a point in front of Haruka, forming a ball shape once more. This time, the water was evidently murky, and Haruka grinned at her efforts. "Leben." she finally muttered, and the ball maintained its shape and began to roll by itself.

Opening the door to the Basilicom, Haruka rolled the bulky water ball outside. It was before midday, with the sun nearing its highest point. The sky was clear of clouds, and a light breeze tickled the young Oracle's face. After guiding the ball a couple of meters from the entrance, she called out to the ball, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to end you, for convenience's sake."

Haruka reached in front of her, and a bladed spear appeared in her hands. The weapon assembled itself from the air in between her hands. In reply to her declaration, the ball growled and rolled towards the Oracle. "This should be easy." she said, smirking confidently.

The battle was over in an instant, with the ball having a clear cut through its center point. Haruka had sliced through the monster in one swipe of her spear. A low groaning could be heard before the ball monster vanished into fragments of data. As it disappeared Haruka re-entered the Basilicom to finish her job.

With the floors sparkling, accented by the faint glow of the crystal fragments, all that was left was to clean the ceiling and decorations. Looking up, the golden columns that lined the sides of the hall curved into arches near the ceiling, and eventually melded with it. In between each of the pillars was a green banner lined with gold, stretching from the top of the room to a meter above the ground. Imprinted into the center of each banner was a giant block 'X' surrounded in a circle, both coloured in a lighter green. Despite the hall's extravagance, the pillars and banners were layered with dust, and the ceiling had a noticeable grey tinge to it. "This is going to be annoying…" Haruka said, while preparing an incantation. "I hope this doesn't break anything."

"Luft." the blue-haired maiden chanted, her deep blue eyes wandering around the room, and a gust of wind began to dance throughout the hall.

Haruka continued the chant and the flurry of dust grew larger as it passed from column to column. Her eyes surveyed each pillar and banner from top to bottom, and the gust appeared to follow, picking up dirt and debris as it went. The banners waved in the wind, donating their share of dirt, and the crystal stands shook from the breeze. Not long after, the accumulated dust had given the gust a visible appearance, one of a miniature cyclone. After cleaning the walls, the Oracle stared at the ceiling, and the wind rushed to the top. Tangled webs gathered by the wind caught onto the dust, forming sizable dust bunnies dancing in the breeze. A lone spider or two were caught by surprise and ended up being vacuumed by the rushing air. When the ceiling was thoroughly cleaned, Haruka looked out towards the open doors and the wind dispersed into the natural air current. After finishing her chant, Haruka looked out the entrance worryingly, "I hope no one gets hit by the dirt."

It was high noon, evident by the luminosity of the world outside, and the diplomats were to be arriving soon. The hall was finally clean, so Haruka had decided a bit of decorating was in order. She rolled out a lengthy green carpet, one that reached from the entrance to the stairs at the other end of the room. The crystal stands were placed near the edges of the carpet, as if to line the pathway. She pulled apart the drapes of the windows, and opened them to allow the cool breeze in. Walking up the stairs, Haruka turned once to observe her handiwork, smiled and went to wake up her weary goddess.

"My Lady! The diplomats will be arriving soon! Please prepare yourself." the Oracle called out as she re-entered her quarters.

"Gnnng…" the blonde beauty moaned lightly, not moving from her sleeping position.

Haruka quickly approached her bed, and leaned over Vert. Apparently in a deeper sleep than before, the goddess had not been affected by the Oracle's voice. "Games…" Vert said, talking in her sleep.

"Oh, I get it now." said the Oracle, as she realized something, "I'll be right back, my Lady."

Haruka rushed out of the room and came back a few minutes later, but with a little device in her hands. "How do you turn this thing on?" she muttered to herself as she fiddled with the machine.

Standing in the entranceway, Haruka had moved a switch on the top of the device. The little screen lit up and a loud melody could be heard as the console started up. Vert picked herself up immediately, turned towards Haruka, and asked her, "Is that the wonderful ringing of the PFP booting I hear?"

Shocked by the suddenness of her Lady's awakening, Haruka was paralyzed. Vert quickly got out of the bed and approached her Oracle, "Please, Haruka, you must hand me the PFP, I think I've had enough rest."

Snapping to, Haruka hid the device behind with one hand, and began to scold the goddess with the other. "Lady Vert! The diplomats will be over soon, you must get ready. This is no time for games."

"How so? Anytime is game time." Vert replied passionately.

"Even so, we must be meeting with them." said Haruka, looking at her watch, "They'll be here any minute!"

"Ah, I see, then I must go greet them." Vert restated, "Please Haruka, follow me."

Vert took Haruka by the hand and began to walk towards her room. Haruka gave a worried look, pulled her hand back and stopped. "Are we not going to the entrance hall, Lady Vert?"

"Why would we do that?" replied Vert, as she turned around, giving Haruka a confused look.

"I thought…" Haruka began to hesitate with her words, "Nevermind, my Lady, let's go."

Vert looked up in thought, finger on her lips, realized something, and giggled. "Oh my, I think I get it."

The goddess resumed her walking, with Haruka following closely behind, obviously confused, and before long reached Vert's room. As they entered, Haruka was stunned by the appearance. Despite its elegant wooden furniture and decorated walls, no one would mistake this as a normal goddess' room. Figurines of varying sizes, genders, and poses were displayed in large cabinets. The walls were lined in promotional posters and framed CG's from games. A cluttered mess of games layered the floor, with the only clear spots being near the TV in the corner and the bed. Limited edition goodies were tossed in a pile, and a large display case of medals could be seen. This was a gamer's room.

"V-Vert! This is a mess! How could we possibly invite guests into this environment?" questioned Haruka, with a mix of confused and upset.

"Huh? This is how it always is." coolly replied the goddess as she approached the balcony doors. "Here they come now."

Vert opened the balcony doors and stepped outside. Haruka successfully navigated the sea of disc cases and stepped behind her Lady. Out in the afternoon sky, two female figures could be seen flying towards the balcony. One of the figures was a taller woman with long, light, violet hair in two braids running down her back. Her figure was hugged tightly by a black plug suit, with glowing purple detailing around the more erogenous zones, outlining her bountiful body. The other flier, of smaller stature, had lilac coloured hair, whose locks simply flowed behind her as she flew. Her figure was clad in a similar plug suit to the other, accenting her average bust, but in white and pink as its main and detail colours, respectively. As they approached, Haruka noted that they both had the 'power' symbols (I/O) in their eyes instead of pupils. In realization to whom these two could be Haruka turned to Vert and exclaimed, "Are the diplomats the goddesses of Planeptune?!"

"I don't see exactly why you keep calling them that." Vert replied as she waved to the fliers, "It is simply a play date."

"A- a what?" Haruka stuttered in pure confusion, the oddity of the situation couldn't be processed in the poor Oracle's mind.

Before Haruka could continue, the figures landed on the balcony, and a bright flash of light blinded her. Once she regained her vision, the two figures were nowhere to be seen, and instead were replaced by two young girls. The taller girl had light purple hair with a similar style to the smaller flier, and deep violet eyes. She wore a white one-piece sailor outfit with purple detailing and a pink tie. Her legs were hidden by a white and pink striped stockings, and her hair was clipped by a direction-pad-like clip. The slightly shorter one had chin length purple hair that spiked outwards from the girl's head, shoulder length sideburns, and two pad-clips, one on each side of her head. Her outfit seemed to be a purple, short one-piece dress covered in a white parka sweater. Like the other, she had stockings, but instead of white and pink, hers were blue and white.

"Heya Vert, who's the noobie?" questioned the smaller one in the tone of an excited kid.

"We're here, Vert" remarked the taller one, then she turned to look at Haruka.

"Welcome you two," greeted Vert, and began to hug Haruka tightly, "this 'noobie' is my adorable new Oracle, Haruka."

Haruka pushed Vert off once again, and stated, "Vert, you must act professionally when dealing with the other nations."

"Oh, don't be a pole in the mud." misquoted the smaller one, as she twirled around, "The name's Neptune, the elegant goddess of Planeptune! It's nice to meet'cha Ruka."

"And my name's Nepgear, the CPU candidate of Planeptune." continued the taller one, her voice calmer than the so-called goddess, "I'm the younger sister between the two of us. It's nice to meet you too, Haruka."

The sisters' juxtaposition was too much for Haruka to handle. Her eyes darted back and forth between them before she finally exhausted herself and sighed. "Ahem. Pardon my manners, CPU's of Planeptune. It's nice to meet the both of you too, Lady- um…" Haruka's voice trailed off as she realized she didn't know their titles.

"Neptune is finesies. Unless that's too hard for you, then Nep, Neppermint…" Neptune continued rambling about possible nicknames.

"You can just call me Nepgear," noted the younger sister, "I'm just a CPU candidate after all."

"Then, Lady Neptune and Miss Nepgear, it's nice to meet you both." said Haruka, "Would you like to come inside?"

"Oh why yes!" exclaimed Vert, "You girls absolutely must try out this new visual novel I have procured."

"Are there butlers?" questioned Nepgear, oddly curious about the contents of the game.

Entering the room, the Planeptune goddesses appeared to be unfazed by the clutter. Leanbox's CPU picked up a game from the floor and turned around, with eyes sparkling. "Another butler-con? Then you will be very pleased with this game." asserted Vert, smirking creepily behind the game's case. "Help yourselves to the cake and tea. I will go ahead and prepare the game. Haruka, please come with me."

On Vert's word, a cart full of pastries and teapots was pushed into the room by a housekeeper. Neptune immediately pounced onto the cart, snatching a pudding from it. Nepgear laughed awkwardly at her sister, and then began to serve herself some tea. Haruka obediently followed Vert to the console where she was pulled close to the goddess. "You couldn't have possibly cleaned the entrance hall, have you?" Vert whispered to the Oracle, "Dust and all?"

"Of course! I didn't think our visitors would be flying in, Lady Vert." replied Haruka in whisper, "I even rid of the dust outside."

Neptune's head popped up after Haruka's last remark. "Huh! That reminds me, Vert," the young goddess mentioned, with her mouth full of pudding, "while we were flying here, we were hit by a huge ball of spiders and dust! It was all like…'pow', you know?"

Both Vert and Haruka looked at Neptune, and then at each other. Vert cracked a small smile, Haruka returned it with a stuck out tongue.


	4. Chapter 3: An Unexpected Request

Response to Reviews:

Some Random Tosser

Thank you for your review, and I was actually thinking of putting the two chapters together. However, I decided I was going to keep them separate, so I know how I improve over time (per chapter). Oh, and you're right about the Wasser part in the previous chapter, but Leben doesn't just make the ball levitate. 'Leben' is German for life, so it would be giving the ball life. I guess it's my fault because I know quite a bit of German, that I assumed that it would be obvious what those words meant. I will try to keep some of the subtleties to a minimum as I should remember that nobody knows exactly what I know.

Anyways, as for the explanation for Haruka's magic, well, I have a few surprises in upcoming chapters, so look out!

* * *

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Request

A month had gone by without much incident, Vert would be playing games in some dark corner of the basement and Haruka would be left alone to deal with the nation's duties. Is this how the rest of my job is going to be like? Thought the lonely Oracle to herself, as she was filing a few building requests between 'Approved' and 'Declined' folders. "Managing a nation is just so, streamlined…" murmured Haruka, about to finish her final task.

According to the CPU, she had created a flowchart-like system to maintain the status quo, any important requests were still to be brought to Vert for counselling. Apparently, the goddess had thought of the idea while playing a bunch of life-simulation games at the same time. "It's always with the games isn't it?" chuckled Haruka, putting away the folders into their respective drawers.

Haruka had been given a special office, an extension built onto the side of the Basilicom's entrance hall. It made her feel a bit special, however, it also isolated her from the rest of the residents. The only visitors who weren't citizens were the single housekeeper meant to bring her food and the goddess herself. In similar style to all the other rooms, the office had a scarlet red carpeted floor, golden wallpaper, and a pine green ceiling. Tiny arches decorated the walls of the office, all meeting at the chandelier at the centre of the ceiling. An oak wood desk pointed towards the door that led to the hall, and behind it was a gargantuan picture window. One of the walls had rows of drawers and filing cabinets, all for the nation's paperwork. The opposite wall was furnished with a quest board, a large TV meant to display current requests and job postings for adventurers. Most off her day was spent in this room, so Haruka began to learn some little details, like how she can change the input of the TV to be a viewing of one of the cameras in a local 5pb. concert. Or that if she opens filing cabinets in a certain order, the TV flashes "Code Entered, 30 Lives, Game Start". When questioned about it, Vert replied with a shocked, "You've never heard of the Gomani Code?"

Other than paperwork, Haruka also had to take care of the citizens' requests, at least the urgent ones. However, it was nearing the end of a 7-day cycle and all the workers were at home preparing to play games for 2 days straight, so there weren't as many requests today. Vert told Haruka that this was in order for her to maintain her shares. "It's more like you're just getting everyone to play games with you for two days." the Oracle mumbled as she began to exit the room.

Opening the door, and getting ready to finally rest for the day, Haruka wasn't expecting the blaring alarm coming from the quest board. Surprised, she turned to the board and waved her hand in front of it to silence the ear-piercing siren. In red block lettering, the title of the fresh request was simply "I need a model."

Confused, Haruka opened up the details to decipher why it was so urgent. Nothing seemed to be off until she read _who _it was from. Exhausted from her work day, and just generally tired of her own goddess' wackiness, Haruka simply face-palmed and muttered "Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day."

* * *

It was early morning and the sun was just breaking over the horizon. The majority of the residents of the Basilicom were asleep, but Haruka was already up and ready for their important visitor. Dressed in her Oracle's outfit and finished her morning preparations, she went to Vert's room to alert her that it was almost time for the meeting.

Upon entering her goddess' room, Haruka noted the lit screen of the television and the small pile of fabric that sat in front of it. Carefully attempting to not crush or damage any of the 'limited edition goodies' Vert leaves around, Haruka approached the pile. Slowly, but surely, she began to hear clicking and a muffled giggling coming from the pile. Now that she can see clearly, the screen was projecting a little sister character from a visual novel. Purple hair, purple eyes, it was almost a perfect replica of Miss Nepgear from last month. "I love you, big sister." stated the character.

"Awww, I love you too, Nepgear…" returned a voice from under the covers. "How about I snatch you from the clutches of Neptune?"

"How about you get to work, Lady Vert?" scolded Haruka as she pulled the blanket off of the figure.

Vert was lying in a little fort supported by pillows and cushions, dressed in a set of green and white polka-dotted pajamas. A little controller in one hand and a hugging pillow of Nepgear in the other, Vert was surprised to see Haruka behind her. "Ah. Um. Haruka, what brings you to my room so late at night?" questioned the goddess, obviously attempting to maintain composure.

"It's 5 in the morning, my lady." replied Haruka, "And it's for the urgent request I mentioned to you last night."

Vert sleepily stared at Haruka for a second before finally remembering, "Oh, for our 'special guest', isn't that so?"

"That would be the case." the Oracle replied offhandedly, surveying the scene that lay before her. "…Why is there so much Nepgear memorabilia?"

The room had figures and pictures of Nepgear in different costumes scattered among the furniture. A game or two on the floor had the goddess candidate as part of the cover, one had the title "Idol PP mk2". It wasn't a huge collection, but it wasn't here when the Planeptune goddesses visited. "Where did it all come from?" questioned Haruka.

"I just recently obtained these goods from my other self." replied Vert, "Since those two are not from this world, figures of my dear Nepgear are a rarity here."

Not from this world? Now that Vert mentions it, Haruka does remember a hole in the sky that was recently purposed for travel to a different world. However, for Vert to meet herself, it surely was an omen for things to come. "Hmm…" murmured Haruka in thought.

"Oh my Haruka, you're not, by chance, jealous of my love for Nepgear, are you?" interrupted Vert, "Worry not, you're my one and only little sis-, ahem, Oracle."

Haruka's face suddenly warmed up as she heard Vert's words. If it were not for the dimness of the room, Vert would have definitely poked fun at Haruka's pink face. "N-No. Not at all, my Lady." stuttered Haruka, before she began to change the subject, "W-We should hurry before we're late for the meeting."

Without getting up from her position, Vert slid over and patted the newly empty spot beside her. "Instead of that, why don't you join me?" stated Vert with a grin on her face, "It's quite the comfortable fort."

The pillow fort did indeed seem like an attractive proposition, but they had work to do. Quickly regaining her composure, "I would have to decline, my Lady." replied Haruka with a smile, still blushing from earlier, "But maybe some other time."

"I will hold you to those words, my dear Oracle." said Vert as she got herself up, "I will be eagerly waiting for it."

Vert started for the door, but as she walked by Haruka, she wrapped her arms around the stunned Oracle. "Thank you for all your hard work, Haruka." said the busty goddess, "I couldn't play as many games as I do, without _you_."

Shocked, the Oracle just stood still in the goddess' warm embrace. Ga-thunk, ga-thunk, the Oracle's heart raced a bit more. Shrouded in darkness, the two figures stayed entwined for an eternity. Slowly, Vert tightened her hug, bringing Haruka closer to her heart. Vert's bosom gave a motherly comfort. Haruka's breathing grew heavier. Warm, soft, and nuturing. These weren't familiar feelings. Haruka began to raise her arms to return the gesture, but instead pushed her goddess off. "P-please, my lady. Not now." Haruka turned her face away from Vert's, and walked out of the room, tears welling up in her eyes.

Surprised from her Oracle's reaction, Vert stared worryingly at the open door, before finally getting changed. "Maybe I went a bit too far…" Vert said, talking to herself.

* * *

Haruka ran through the Basilicom's corridors before finally reaching the entrance hall. I should've explained myself, thought the Oracle, worried about the awkwardness of seeing Vert again. "But, I don't want to hurt her." noted the Oracle to herself.

Walking down the stairs, Haruka noticed a short girl standing in the middle of the entrance hall, head buried in a book. The girl was of the same height as Haruka, a bit on the short side with a doll-like frame. Her skin was light, and seemed delicate to touch. Chin length, light brown hair framed the girl's face, and her eyes sparkled with a deep sapphire blue. Her clothing resembled that of a shrine maiden, with an autumn red as its inner layer, and snow white as its top. White leggings covered her legs, and she wore red wooden sandals on her feet.

"Um. Excuse me, little girl. But I'm going to have to ask you to leave, we have an important guest coming today." Haruka pleaded to the girl, "We aren't accepting any requests for the time being."

Hearing the Oracle's words, the girl quickly closed her book and stared at Haruka with an angered expression. "Huh? Who are you calling little? You're the same, freakin', height!" exploded the girl, "And what's with that pretentious attitude? You're just a goddamn Oracle!"

Haruka jumped back, and got into a defensive stance. "I knew this was a stupid idea. I'm going back to Lowee." noted the girl, obviously pissed.

Lowee? Oh, crap! This was Lady White Heart! "No, no, no, wait my Lady." Haruka called out, as she walked in front of the goddess, "I apologize for my earlier comment."

"I don't need to hear that shit! Get outta my way!" yelled White Heart as she shoved Haruka to the side.

"Now, now Blanc. Is that any way to treat a human?" called a calm voice from behind them, "I thought _you_ cared for the citizens the most."

It was Leanbox's CPU, climbing down the stairs in her signature green one piece dress. Slowly, but surely, she was approaching the two. "Why don't you forgive her, Blanc? This is the first time she's met you, after all."

White Heart stopped in her tracks, and turned to face the blonde goddess, "I don't need to be lectured by an old hag."

"Oh my, as ferocious as ever." chuckled Vert, "But if you leave, however will you find a model like me for your novel?"

"Urk." the shorter goddess didn't retort, and instead went silent.

A moment had passed before the tension began to lift. "Fine, I guess I can forgive your Oracle." said Blanc, as she began to calm down.

"I'm so sorry, Lady White Heart." apologized the Oracle, "I promise not to make the mistake again."

"It's alright." replied Blanc, accepting the apology, "I get that a lot. So, what's your name?"

"Haruka," replied the Oracle, "Haruka Naruji, the Oracle of Leanbox. At your service, Lady White Heart."

"…You can call me Blanc, no need for the formalities." said the CPU, "So, about my request…"

"Y-yes. That's right," stuttered Haruka, surprised at Blanc's sudden friendliness, "we have prepared a few rooms for Lady Vert to pose in whilst you draw her."

"Perfect." noted Blanc, in a quiet, pleased tone, "Well, shall we begin?"

"Wait Blanc," interrupted Vert, "with a request, you obviously must generously offer a reward, isn't that right?"

"Ah. Yes, that's right." replied the goddess, as she pulled a game package seemingly from thin air, "Here's a signed copy of 'Super Bash Sisters', the latest entry into the series."

"Ohohoh." giggled Vert, as she took the package away from Blanc, "Lowee certainly has its quality games, at times."

"Obviously, as my nation is the oldest and the most powerful." stated the little CPU, with her chest puffed out.

"Ahaha." chuckled Haruka at Lowee's CPU, "Shall we be on our way then?"

* * *

The Oracle led the two goddesses towards a nearby room, normally a dining hall, which was repurposed as a modelling studio. As they walked, Vert would constantly ask Blanc how Lowee was doing, or how she was recently. Lowee's goddess wasn't as talkative, but she would respond wholeheartedly to every question. Nevertheless, Vert was obviously avoiding Haruka, never making eye contact with her, nor talking to her unless spoken to. There was a slight tugging in Haruka's chest, and it made her feel uneasy. As they entered the room, Haruka held the door open for the two, however, only Blanc gave her a thanks. Vert simply walked through the door, not even acknowledging Haruka's presence.

The dining room was a large hall, usually with an appropriately sized table in the centre of the room. However for today, there was instead a large, circular stage draped in white linen in the centre of the room. Surrounded by spot lights and cameras, every angle could be captured and every corner could be illuminated. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be using the cameras." apologized Lowee's CPU, "I will be drawing free-hand for this."

"I didn't know you were an artist, Blanc." stated the surprised CPU, "It really complements your calmer side."

"I had to learn someday," replied Blanc, "visual appeal helps sell copies at the convent-." She looked at Haruka and had stopped herself from continuing.

"Convent?" questioned Haruka, "What's a convent?"

"N-nothing." answered Blanc, "It's none of your concern."

Flustered, the little CPU pulled over a nearby chair and turned it towards the stage. Sitting down in it, she called out to Vert, "Can we get this over with?" and pulled out a sketchbook.

Vert took off her shoes, and eagerly stepped onto the stage, "So, what kind of pose would you like?"

"Can you pose as if you were kissing someone?" replied Blanc, "No need for the other person, just imagine it."

Vert quickly got into position, closing her eyes, and tilting her head up. Her rose lips puckered up, ready to kiss the imaginary figure. Blanc quickly sketched the pose, and then calmly ordered her next one, "Now, pose as if you just received a bouquet of roses from your true love."

The CPU reacted with a cat's grace and, in one swift motion, got into position. Vert gave a gigantic smile along with a surprised expression, and her hands simply exaggerated the action by being placed on the sides of her face. "Now, how about…"

* * *

The sketching and posing continued for a couple of hours, with Vert effortlessly switching between poses and Blanc tirelessly sketching every pose. Due to their diligence, Haruka had no opportunity to apologize to Vert. Instead, it had seemed the situation worsened. Haruka had come in and out of the room to bring snacks and tea for Blanc, but whenever asked for tea, Vert simply replied with a "No, thank you."

Every so often, when re-entering the room, Haruka could hear Vert and Blanc chatting. However, as soon as they noticed her presence, they would cut the conversation short. At first, she thought it was a coincidence, but after a few iterations, Haruka felt her uneasiness grow. It wasn't a natural silence when she was in the room, but one that was intentional.

* * *

The group switched venues a few times, a pose or two in the kitchen of Vert cooking up a storm, or in the bathroom when she had to pose as if she had been peeked on by the unsuspecting 'true love'. As their last stop, Vert had to pose near a window of one of the rooms. "Can you pose as if you lost someone important to you?" Blanc coincidentally asked of Vert.

Vert quickly turned to face Haruka, before looking longingly out of the window. I will apologize to her after this, thought the Oracle to herself, strengthening her resolve. Haruka returned the glance with a stare back at her goddess, and she noticed a tear running down Vert's face. A saddened expression clouded Vert's normally cheerful attitude. Blanc took her time with this sketch, as she said that it was the most important part. However, Vert couldn't hold the pose. A slight twitch on her face, and her façade began to fade away. The blonde CPU broke her stoniness, fell to the ground, and began to cry. Haruka stood still, in shock of the situation. What was she supposed to do? Glancing at the Oracle, the little CPU stopped sketching and nudged Haruka lightly from the side, "Jeez, how dense can you be?"

Haruka nodded to Blanc, and approached Vert. Wiping her tears back, Vert didn't expect her Oracle's embrace. In silence, Haruka wrapped her arms around the weeping goddess. "I'm sorry for earlier, Lady Vert."

Vert wiped her tears on Haruka's uniform before replying, "I want to apologize as well, I'm afraid I went too far."

"No, it's not your fault my Lady." Haruka asserted, tightening her hug, "It's because of my teachings in Eden."

The blonde CPU went silent, buried her face into Haruka's clothes, and simply returned the gesture. Haruka giggled lightly, reminded of how they first met. It was different, but she still felt the same sort of relief as before.

The moment felt like a lifetime, and they both forgot they had a visitor in the room. "Amazing! This is the perfect sketch for my cover." stated Blanc, shattering the silence.

Haruka snapped to and let go of Vert. However, Vert did not move, and instead tightened her grip, "Must you let go?" questioned the goddess in a muffled voice, without lifting her head.

The Oracle sighed, and returned to hug Vert, "Okay, but only for a bit more." she whispered.

"You guys are such lovebirds, huh?" Blanc said to the two.

Haruka blushed, but didn't reply to the petite goddess' remark. However, Vert slowly let go of Haruka, and regained her composure. "I would say that was a 'Mission Success'." remarked Vert to Blanc.

"A-a mission success?" Haruka thought out loud, obviously confused by Vert's comment.

"You've been played," replied Blanc, "Vert came up with the plan."

"Played?" Haruka stammered out, looking at the two scheming goddesses before her.

"From this morning, I figured there would be some awkwardness present." explained Vert, "So, when you had left to serve Blanc some tea, I had explained the situation to her."

"And Vert decided she wanted to apologize," continued Blanc, "so I had to present the opportunity."

Finally realizing their plot, Haruka felt a mixture of relief and upset. A sigh escaped the Oracle's mouth, "I guess I'm no match for two goddesses, huh?"

"Look at the bright side, we've made up haven't we?" noted Vert as she went to hug Haruka once more.

Haruka moved slightly out of the way, "Maybe we should limit hugging, no?"

Vert playfully pouted before turning to their guest, "Do you have all your sketches, Blanc?"

"This should be enough," returned Blanc, "Thank you, both of you."

* * *

When they finally settled down, the group returned to the entrance hall to see Lowee's CPU off. As they walked through the halls, there was no longer that uneasy feeling in Haruka's chest. However, for a different reason, her heart still felt a slight tugging. Was it Blanc's statement from earlier? Or was it her going against Eden's teachings? While the answer wasn't obvious, her worry was. As they were walking, Vert asked the Oracle "Is everything all right?"

Brought back from deep thought, Haruka could only muster a quick "Yes, my Lady."

Vert didn't seem satisfied with the answer, but decided to continue entertaining their guest. The gleeful band of girls simply chatted idly as they walked through the halls. It wasn't long before their little appointment was coming to an end.

It was nearing evening, as the sun was beginning to cross the horizon. A light breeze tickled their faces as it rolled in from the opened door. "I guess this is it, huh?" stated the little goddess as they approached the entrance.

"It appears so," replied Vert, "I hope everything was up to your standards."

"Hmm." murmured Blanc in thought, "It was. And I hope you two don't end up fighting again."

"It wasn't a fight." interjected Haruka, "Just a little disagreement between a CPU and her Oracle."

"Whatever you say." replied the goddess with a slight grin, "Well then, good evening."

Without turning back, Blanc walked out of the Basilicom into the sunset without another word.

As the CPU disappeared from sight, Haruka turned to Vert. "Lady Vert," began Haruka, "I don't get it, Lady Blanc is nothing like your books say she is. I was totally unprepared for our meeting today!"

"Oh, and why would that be?" answered Vert, in the form of a question. "I'm fairly certain I described her in great detail to the scribes."

"I'm certain I remember the words, 'Uncontrollable Demon' and 'Immature Brat' in the history books." asserted Haruka.

"Oh, those were from a different time." chuckled Vert, "Back when our nations fought for Shares."

"So, we don't compete for Shares now?" questioned Haruka, "What changed that?"

"…" Vert hesitated before she answered, "The formation of Eden."

Haruka didn't ask another question, instead she gave Vert a worried look.

"But enough of that," Vert said, taking Haruka by the hand, "let us play games for the rest of today. Will you join my fort?"

Relieved, the Oracle giggled at the request, and replied with a playful smile, "I would be honoured to join your pillow fort, my Lady."


End file.
